A delegation from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), located in the west African country of Ghana, visited MCEER on June 2-3, 2010 to discuss areas of potential collaboration. KNUST has an interest in collaborating with MCEER in three areas: (1) the training of their faculty and staff in earthquake engineering; (2) the exchange of graduate students; and (3) the training of engineers in Ghana on seismic resistant design. KNUST also envisions the establishment of an Earthquake Research Center in Ghana that will be a leader in Africa.

The collaboration was initiated and coordinated by University at Buffalo alumnus Dr. Joseph Quarshie, a Project Engineer at Caltrans’ Fresno, California office, who received his Ph.D. in earthquake engineering under Professor Michael Constantinou in 1998. He is also a native of Ghana and obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia.

In addition to Dr. Quarshie, the delegation included Prof. (Dr.) Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, Vice-chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) Samuel Innocent Kofi Ampadu, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and Sectional Head of Geotechnical Engineering, and Dr. Mark Adom-Asamoah, Senior Lecturer and Sectional Head of Structural Engineering. Professors Andrei Reinhorn and Michael Constantinou hosted the group on behalf of MCEER.

A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by Prof. Adarkwa of KNUST and Andre Filiatrault, MCEER Director, in September 2009. It allows for the establishment of collaboration, the initial exchange of ideas, sharing of materials and discussion towards the development of bi-national student/staff exchange visits to facilitate research and aid in the development of earthquake engineering as a discipline in Ghana.